The right to ban handguns

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Mike Quigley and Carolyn McCarthy are leading a group of Congressmen by filing a brief in support of the handgun ban in the McDonald v. Chicago case.  According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

“U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, had 54 members of congress join his friend-of-the-court brief Wednesday that urged the court to leave Chicago’s handgun ban in place … Quigley was joined by New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who added, “Stripping local governments of [the right to ban handguns] would put families and neighborhoods at risk by disregarding the expertise of local officials who possess an intimate knowledge of the unique characters of their communities and the problems they face.” …”

Other New Yorkers signing onto it include the usual suspects: Gary Ackerman, Tim Bishop, Yvette Clarke, Joseph Crowley, Eliot Engel, Steve Israel, Nita Lowey, Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Charles Rangel, Jose Serrano, Louise Slaughter, Edolphus Towns and Anthony Weiner.

They have to know that after we get incorporation in Chicago, New York will be a prime target for litigation.

God wants gun control

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Topic of discussion at Mayor Mike’s annual interfaith breakfast:

“… Mr. Bloomberg then discussed how community outreach could play a part in gun control …”

Shelly’s agenda

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Gov. Paterson gave his State of the State address yesterday and he focused on the economic mess the state is in.  Sheldon Silver gave his response to the media.  Near the bottom of the press release was this:

“… we must get illegal guns off of our streets and out of our neighborhoods …”

I take this to mean he plans on going full steam ahead with the NYAGV agenda again this year.

NRA wants time before SCOTUS

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The NRA would like to have their lawyer speak before SCOTUS in the McDonald v. Chicago case:

“The National Rifle Association asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow its lawyer to take part in the oral argument March 2 in the case testing whether the Second Amendment restricts the power of state and local governments to pass gun control laws. It sought 10 minutes of time allotted to the individuals and groups that are pursuing the Amendment’s extension … The Court in the McDonald case will consider two main arguments for applying the individual right to possess guns to state and local laws: first, that gun rights should be protected at those levels by the 14th Amendment’s “Privileges or Immunities” clause; and, second, the protection should come under the Amendment’s Due Process clause. Both of those arguments are at issue in the question presented by the petition. The NRA said it wants to put stress on the due process argument … The Due Process Clause, former Solicitor General Paul D. Clement said in the NRA motion, “presents the most straighforwad and direct route to reversal of the decision” of the 7th Circuit Court against extending the Second Amendment to the state and local level …”

I wonder if the Brady’s are going to ask for equal time to pitch their argument?

News of the day

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Putnam Co. Fish & Game is putting together a van to go to Albany on the 12th.

Will Elliot mentions lobby day in his column in the Buffalo News.

Another potential Democrat challenger for Kirsten Gillibrand, Harold Ford:

“Encouraged by a group of influential New York Democrats, Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is weighing a bid to unseat Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in this fall’s Democratic primary … Mr. Ford, 39, who moved to New York three years ago, has told friends that he will decide whether to run in the next 45 days …”

Ford was NRA F rated when he was in Congress.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports on MAIG’s agenda in their article “‘Blueprint’ To Stop Illegal Guns From Entering Brooklyn Revealed.”  Here is a copy of the actual plan.  This quote from Mayor Mike is telling:

“… “Every day in our county, 32 Americans are killed by gun-wielding criminals — that’s a Virginia Tech-scale tragedy happening every single day,” said coalition co-chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “Enacting these 40 recommendations will save lives — and each can be done administratively, without action by the Congress …”

Trying to do an end run around the legislature is a familiar tactic for him, but he’s also basically admitting Congress won’t act on his proposals.  If gun control were really as popular as he says it is then he should not be having problems advancing an upfront legislative agenda.

Hasty implementation

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Another microstamping update from California:

“In a recent letter to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) expressed concern over the “hasty implementation” of firearms microstamping in California and called for further in-depth study of the technology before it is implemented by law in California …”

Shouldn’t you have thought about this before passing this law?

$1000

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Need another reason to come to Albany on the 12th?  The R&P will be giving away a $1000 gift certificate from Remington.  Anyone who shows up will be eligible to win.

News of the day

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Dick Nelson on Jan. 12, “Sportsmen need to show their strength.”  This column shows why Dick is far and away the best outdoor writer in the state.  Not because he’s necessarily the best wordsmith, but because he is the most honest and open of the bunch and tells it like it is.

There’s a bus from Long Island going to Albany on the 12th.  Cost is $35/person.

Erie Co. legislator Tim Kennedy will announce on Friday his intention to primary pro-gun Senator Bill Stachowski (D-58).

People are not interested in Rick Lazio running for Governor. This story brought to you by the New York Times and the Department of the Bloody Obvious.

Pete King for Senate?

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Urban Elephants reports that Congressman Pete King has been making noise again about running for Senate against Kirsten Gillibrand this fall.  King has been a C/D rated by NRA over the past few election cycles so I have low expectations from him on gun issues.

He did get in a good shot at Michael Jackson and the media, though.

More press for lobby day

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Some more press (and self-promotion) for the Jan. 12 lobby day at the LOB/CAP in today’s Post-Star, “Sportsmen prepare for meetings at Capitol.”  There are buses from at least nine locations going there that I’m aware of.